Agitator for washing machines



Aug. 31, 1943. J. c. NELSON 2,328,482

AGI'I'ATOR F OR WASHING MACHINES Original Filed llarch 13, 1937 IHVENTDR JABEz L7. NELSON ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 31, 1943 AGITATOB. FOR WASHING MACHINES Jabez Curry Nelson, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Easy Washing Machine Corporation, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of Dela-ware Original application March 13, 1937, Serial No. 130,785. Divided and this application July 16, 1940, Serial No. 345,784

5 Claims.

My invention relates to a novel agitator or dolly for a washing machine.

This application is a divison of my copending application, Serial. No. 130,785, filed March 13, 1937, for an Agitator for washing machines.

An object of my invention is to provide an agitator for a washing machine adapted to be mounted for operation in a washing tub or vat containing washing fiuid and clothes, the agitator being so constructed and arranged as to effect a thorough washing of the clothes in a minimum length of time.

Another object of my invention contemplates the provision of a novel agitator for a washing machine which is adapted to cause circulation of the clothes around the vat in one circulatory direction so as to continuously present new clothes surfaces to th washing action of the agitator, whereby during the washing operation the entire body of clothes is subjected to the scrubbing and thread-deforming action of the agitator.

More specifically, my invention contemplates the provision of an agitator having a base, a substantially pyramidically shaped central portion extending upward from the base to or above the normal surface level of cleansing fluid, and a plurality of blades extending outward from the edges of the pyrainidically shaped central portion, each of the blades extending substantially I in a plane of a face of the central portion.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view showing the agitator of my invention and indicating a washing vat in which the agitator is mounted.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the agitator taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1, in the direction indicated by the arrows.

The agitator of my invention is adapted to be mounted in a vat or tub H in which the clothes and washing fluid are placed. The washing vat may be of any desired shape, either square or, as shown in the drawing, circular in cross section. The agitator, generally indicated by the numeral 12, preferably mounted centrally of the vet H and is driven by a shaft 13 extending upwardly through the bottom of the vat. The drive shaft l3 may be driven by any suitable mechanism and from any suitable source of power, not necessary to be shown or described herein since such driving mechanism for oscillating the agitator is well known in the art to which this invention applies.

Preferably, the shaft is driven in an oscillatory manner so as to drive the agitator through an arc of 180, more or less, at acomparatively high rate of speed somewhere between fifty and sixty oscillations per minute.

The shaft [3 extends upward to or above the normal surface level of cleansing fluid, and the agitator l2 ispreferably driven by the shaft in the manner described in the application of Peter Eduard Geldhof, Serial No. 55,050, filed December 18, 1935,'which matured into United States Letters Patent No. 2,094,559, issued September 28, 1937.

The agitator itself comprises a preferably circular bottom plate or base IS which may, if desired, be substantially fiat or may, as shown in the drawing, be sloped upward or crowned as indicated at ll. Extending upward from the base and rigidly secured thereto is a pyramidically shaped central portion 18 which has faces l9. While I have shown in the drawing a triangular pyramid, it will be appreciated that the pyramid may have any desired number of sides. The faces I9 of the pyramid are preferably fiat and meet each other in sharply defined edges 2 i. Extending outward from each of the edges 21 of the pyramid is a blade 22 which, as shown in Figure 1, is rather wide at the bottom 23 and narrower toward the top 24. Each of the blades curves outward and upward from the base and attains its maximum width at the point 26, from which point it slopes inward and upward to merge at the top of the pyramidically shaped central portion with the edge of the pyramid. Each of the blades 22 lies in the plane of a face 19 of the pyramid 18. There is thus formed a sharply defined pocket 21 extending the height of the agitator between each blade and the adjacent face of the pyramid. A cap 28 is mounted at the top of the agitator and secured thereto in any suitable manner.

When the agitator is placed for operation in a vat containing soap and clothes approximately to the level of the lower edge of the cap 28 and is driven in an oscillatory manner at a speed of oscillation and amplitude as above indicated, the clothes and washing fluid are violently agitated. The clothes are subjected, by the blades 22, to a thorough thread-deforming action which serves to loosen the dirt particles. Moreover, because the pockets 2'! all face in the same direction, the clothes and washing fiuid tend to circulate around the vat in one circulatory direction. When the agitator is rotated in a clockwise direction, the clothes are given a violent impetus in the clockwise direction. When the agitator is reversed, the clothes and washing fluid are circulated in the opposite direction, but to a lesser extent, so that the resultant action of the agitator is to cause the clothes and washing fluid to circulate around the vat in a clockwise direction, as viewed in the drawing.

While the clothes are circulated in one direction around the vat, there is, at the same time, a definite tendency for the clothes to be drawn from the side walls of the vat into contact with the agitator. This result is due to the fact that when the agitator rotates in a counterclockwise direction, the suction created in and adjacent the lengthwise pockets formed by the blades tends to draw the clothes from the side walls of the vat toward the pockets.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that the agitator of my invention is of new and novel design and is adapted to cause a definite and positive circulation of the clothes around the vat and an action such as to cause new clothes surfaces continuously to be presented to the scrubbing and thread-deforming action of the agitator.

I claim:

1. An agitator for a washing machine comprising three vertically extending blades arranged and joined to form a triangular central portion, said blades having substantially plane surfaces, portions of said blades projecting laterally beyond said triangular central portion, the adjacent surfaces of said blades cooperating to provide laterally opening pockets.

2. A washing machine agitator comprising a substantially horizontal base of substantially circular contour, at least three similar rigid blades extending substantially vertically upward from said base, said blades being positioned symmetrically about the central vertical axis of the agitator and intersecting adjacent said axis to form a prismatic central column the respective plane faces of which constitute extensions of one plane side surface of each blade, whereby each of said blades is wider on one side than on the other, the adjacent surfaces of said blades cooperating to form laterally opening pockets, and means for mounting said agitator to oscillate about said central vertical axis.

3. A washing machine agitator comprising a substantially horizontal base of substantially circular contour, at least three similar rigid blades extending substantially vertically upward from said base, said blades being positioned symmetrically about the central vertical axis of the agitator and intersecting adjacent said axis to form a prismatic central column the respective plane faces of which constitute extensions of one plane side surface of each blade, whereby each of said blades is wider on one side than on the other, said blades decreasing in width towards their tops, the adjacent surfaces of said blades cooperating to form laterall opening pockets, and means for mounting said agitator to oscillate about said' central Vertical axis.

4. A washing machine agitator comprising a substantially horizontal base of substantially circular contour, at least three similar rigid blades extending substantially vertically upward from said base and loping inward and upward toward the central vertical axis of the agitator, Said blades being positioned symmetrically about said axis and intersecting adjacent said axis to form a pyramidal central column the respective plane faces of which constitute extensions of one plane side surface of each blade, whereby each of said blades is wider on one side than on the other, the adjacent surfaces of said blades cooperating to form laterally opening pockets, and means for mounting said agitator to oscillate about said central vertical axis.

5. A washing machine agitator comprising a substantially horizontal base of substantially circular contour, at least three similar rigid blades extending substantially vertically upward from said base and sloping inward and upward toward the central vertical axis of the agitator, said blades being positioned symmetrically about said axis and intersecting adjacent said axis to form a pyramidal central column the respective plane faces of which constitute extensions of one plane side surface of each blade, whereby each of said blades is wider on one side than on the other,

said blades decreasing in width towards their tops, the adjacent surfaces of said blades cooperating to form laterally opening pockets, and means for mounting said agitator to oscillate about said central vertical axis.

JABEZ CURRY NELSON. 

